Testimonials

With his wife Linda Coordinator of the Sleep Apnea Support Group

I was referred to Dr. Juan Albino in his capacity as a pulmonologist by my PCP (primary care physician) for a troublesome bronchial condition. After evaluating and successfully managing this condition, I was about to say goodbye to Dr. Albino at our last office visit. However, my wife interrupted me and said, 'Don't you want to mention your sleep problem to Dr. Albino?' Puzzled, I replied: 'But I don't have a sleep problem.' She quickly replied, 'Yes you do.' We went through another round: 'No I don't.' 'Yes you do.' Dr. Albino then asked my wife, 'What exactly is his sleep problem?' to which my wife said, 'He snores very loudly at night, and he stops breathing for long periods.  He is also sleepy during the day.' After several more questions, Dr. Albino suggested that I obtain a sleep study, and I reluctantly agreed.

The night of the study, I thought I would not be able to sleep with all those wires on me, but I actually did. After the study, Dr. Albino called me and said I had sleep apnea and needed to have a second sleep study in order to be treated. Again, I reluctantly agreed, wondering how I was ever going to sleep with a mask blowing air over my face along with all the wire hookups. Well, it seemed that only a few minutes had passed from the time the CPAP was put on my face and the technologist awakened me. 'What time is it?' I asked. 'It's morning, and you can head home. You did very well,' the technologist replied. I could not believe it. That was the best night's sleep I had had in years. I quickly went home, then called up Dr. Albino and demanded that I receive that CPAP machine as soon as possible. That was back in 2004, and I have used CPAP every night since then. I now not only sleep well at night and don't snore, but I am more energetic during the day and no longer take naps or fall asleep unexpectedly like I used to.

After using the CPAP for several months, Dr. Albino invited me and several other patients with sleep apnea to his office for a meeting. We discussed our experiences with this peculiar illness, our feelings about the sleep study and our response to treatment with CPAP. We all benefited from each other's experiences, since each person contributed a valuable perspective. After the second meeting, Dr. Albino asked me and Lois Brock to lead the group and seek an independent meeting place. We started with nine members, grew rapidly, and eventually formed The Sleep Apnea Support Group. We now have more than 350 members, and we meet the second Monday of the month (except during the summer) at 6:30pm in the Bridgeport Recreation Center. All residents of The Villages are invited to attend.

My association with Dr. Albino over the years has been very rewarding. Of course, his recognition of my sleep apnea problem saved my life, and the resulting improvement in my quality of life has been nothing short of phenomenal. Beyond that, his sponsorship and support for our Sleep Apnea Support Group has been outstanding. He is always there when we need him. His presentations are timely, interesting, and usually generate many excellent questions from the members. Thank you, Dr. Albino.